I was deep in sleep when I heard it. A sharp, whispering sound, vibrating through the darkness. A sound that a warrior only hears once in a lifetime. A sound that cannot be ignored.
The Veydra had arrived.
Finally.
I rose from my bed of Tharil pelts, stepping barefoot over the sand and lifting the flap of my tent. Outside, the vast expanse of dunes stretched endlessly beneath the fractured light of our many shattered moons, which hung in a jagged line from horizon to horizon.
The sound came again, low and soft, a mix between a hiss and a songbird’s call. I crouched instinctively, planting my claws into the ground. A long, steady breath escaped me as I calmed myself, eyes sweeping across the desert.
Then I saw it. The Veydra, gliding smoothly towards me from afar, moving closer with every moment.
I had only ever heard stories about it—tales told by men far luckier than I, men called by the Veydra to discover their chosen fates. They spoke of its endless, glowing form sliding over the sands like a spirit. And now, finally, I was one of those fortunate few—one of the warriors whom the Veydra had come to claim.
Nothing I had heard could prepare me for the reality of it. Its long, shimmering body seemed to flicker in and out of existence, as though caught between worlds. The moonlight filtered through its translucent skin, turning the sand beneath it a luminous, silver-black. Even though I was one of the tallest in my tribe, the Veydra spanned at least four or five times my height laid end to end. It was truly magnificent, and the sight of it tightened my chest.
Its great head lifted from the sands without limbs—only the power of its sinuous spine, glowing faintly beneath its transparent flesh, holding it upright. Its shifting, star-bright eyes fixed on me, and I slowly stood, my tail flicking involuntarily. I couldn’t help it—my heart was thundering in my chest. The time had come to meet my companion. The one destined to bind with me, to create offspring by my side. The one who would one day rule alongside me as Kallira of our tribe.
The Veydra dipped its head before turning with graceful ease, sliding back into the desert as silently as it had come.
I dressed quickly—pulling on my simple leather wrap and strapping my sharp Talek blades across my back. At the last moment, I grabbed my axe, also carved from Talek stone, hefting it in one hand and grasping my spear in the other. I wouldn’t need weapons against the peaceful Veydra, no matter how immense it was—but there were other creatures in the sands with far worse intentions.
I stepped from my tent, letting the flap fall closed behind me. For a moment, I considered waking Drakos, my second-in-command, but I decided against it. This path was one I had to walk alone.
And so, I left behind the tents of my people and followed the Veydra into the night, every step bringing me closer to my fate.
We traveled for some time, and I knew where the Veydra was leading me—everyone in my tribe and all the others of the Sandspine Clans knew where the Veydra Pools lay, hidden deep within the Cliffs of Kharoth**. But the journey was meaningless without the Veydra’s call. Only those invited by the Veydra could glimpse their true destiny within the sacred waters.
Excitement hummed through me as I followed the creature’s flowing tail. Who would it be? There were so few women left among us now. Perhaps Talia—I had lain with her once before. There was mutual respect between us, but nothing close to the soul-deep bond others spoke of. Those lucky enough to pair through the Pools often described an overwhelming love that consumed them entirely.
But the Pools changed everything. Warriors saw their fate there—what their future held and who would walk beside them. And once they saw, everything shifted.
I tried to imagine my feelings for Talia evolving into that fierce connection. Tried to envision her not only as a lover, but as the one who would rule at my side, mother my children, and shape the future of our people. It was a pleasant thought—but no fire burned in my chest just yet.
I would let the Veydra lead the way. Speculation was pointless. I had already spent too much of my adult life wondering.
At last, a jagged black line appeared on the horizon—the cliffs were drawing near. The Veydra glided steadily forward, and I followed closely, suddenly anxious at the thought of losing sight of it when we were so close.
Soon, the cliffs loomed above us, their sheer faces dissolving into the night sky. I craned my neck, struggling to see their tops through the darkness.
The Veydra slid along the rock wall, seeming to vanish into the stone itself. But I knew the entrance was there—a hidden gap leading to the sacred pools.
I hurried forward, weapons in hand, and stepped into the crevice.
There, at the entrance, stood a Veydrak, one of the sacred guardians of the Veydra and its pools. She held a spear with practiced ease. I didn’t recognize her—she was from a different Sandspine Clan. Old and past the age of pairing, she was almost as tall as me and carried her weapon with effortless strength.
I raised my tail, curling it forward to cover my eyes in a gesture of deep respect—a gesture I now reserved only for the Veydrak. As the Khan of my tribe, it was rare for me to offer such reverence. Usually, others shielded their eyes from me.
“You may enter, Khan Varek.”
My tail uncurled and settled behind me. I nodded to the Veydrak and stepped toward the pools. Just as I was about to pass, she spoke again—more to herself than to me.
“I should have known the Veydra would summon a powerful Khan tonight. This is no ordinary call to destiny. The air feels... strange.”
